Hose-coupling.



E. LE BRETON.

HOSE GGUPMNG, 4 APLICATIUN FLEB APBJL 1911.

Patented Feb 2U, i932.

Attorneys neet-ion with my improved coupling, be anse a short and rather thick gasket should cotight oint.

l UNITED EDWARD LEA BRETON, AOF CLEVELAND, -02H0,

STAT-iis PATENT OFFICE.

iiosE-coUPLING.'

`Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20.31912'.`

Application filed April 11, 1911. Serial No. 620,301.

.To all whom it may concern: l

.Beit known that I, EDWARD Ln Biiii'roN, a citizen ot` the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and t State of Ohio, have invented a new and use- 1 tu] Hose-Coupling, 'of which the follow-'l ingis a specification.

lhis invention relates to water distribution, and more especially to detachable pipe couplings; and the object of the same is to produce a coupling byl means ot vwhich the extremities oitl -two sections of hose can be i quickly connected in'a water-tight manner bv a coupling which is not easily thrown out or' actionthrough contact with extraneous Aobjects and which positively holds the parts against longitudinal strain, and vi'vhereb they can be as readily disconnected when d sired. This object is carried out by the eoiit struction described and claimed below and hewn in the drawings wherein- Y Figure l is a .side elevation ot' the parts of this coupling showing them in the position they assume as they are about to be put I together. Fig. 2 is aceiitral longitudinal sectionv and Fig. 3 a top view showing the lmembers connected with each other. Fig. 4l is perspective detail ot' the locking lever and bail. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a modified torni or the invention. l

ln the lrawiiigs l have shown a inale inember M and a female member F, the lorniei` having a tubular nose 5 with a surrounding groove 6 in which tits a soft gasket i 7 resting against a shoulder and the cX-` tren'iity ot' the female member l" is thiekf cned as at; J ati its mouth where it rest:I

againstthis gasket when the two nieinbers are clan'ipcd together. This is a detail ot structure which l preler to employ in conthe clamp is very poweriiul and positive and operate with it in order to produce a waterlhe outer ends ol' the members shown herein may be formed as illustrated or in any approved manner so as to iiiake coniiee- I tion with the hose pipe sections not: shown g but which it is the intention'ot this` coupling to connect.

It is well known that i'ire and garden hose is subjected to rather rough usage, bef ing often dragged along the ground lateri ally or longitudinally, and it is the cou-j plings which suffer at such times because they project beyond the contour of the body j of the hose.

One object Ihave in view is to'provide a coupling ot such shape and character that it will not suiler injury by rough usage of the hosev and cannot become unlatched or disconnected accidentally in this way;

Coming now more particularly to the present invention, the male member M is g provided with a pair .of oppositely disposed and radially projecting hooks`10. It is to s be understood that I am describing the construction shown, although itcould, of course L be reversed and the parts here Shown on male member could be put upon the female member. instead. In line with these the female member F is provided with two oppositely disposed and radiallyA projecting lugs 1.1, each having a rather thin body ex- F tending longitudinally of this member from a point just behind its thickened edge 9 to a shoulder 12 facing away from the extremity of the member F, The outer edge ot each lug is cut oil straight, excepting that from its front corner projects a hook 13 whose bill is closed nearly or quite into contar-t with the lug at its extremity as at 111. One of these hooks carries a link l5 which is et suoli length that its remote end can be engaged with one of the hooks 10 on the member M. Into the other hook 13 is pivotally engaged a lever 2O (best seen in Fig. fl) lwhich is oi rather peculiar construction. lts bod)7 is slotted as at 21 from a point near itsgi'ulcruin end 22 backward toward its handle 23 and in a plane at right angles to the length of said fulcruin, this slot being of a size to embrace the hook 13 whether the lever stands in the position shown in Fig. 1 or is thrown over to the position shown in Fig. "2. Sonie distance back otl its fuleruni end the lever is formed with a transverse eye 24, and as herein outer end 50 engages one of the hooks 10 sides 51 diverge to its other end and there they are comleeted by a transverse cross bar t 32 which is pivotally inounted in said eye Q-l of the lever however the eye is made. The openingthrough this bail is otl a size to permit it. to t'reely imrlose the wider end of the lever 20 so that the latter may have all the movenuents necessary.

ln connecting the members ot a hose coupling thus formed, they are brought together as seen in Fig. l and the linl( e11- g'aged with either hook that happens to be at the bottom and in which relative position we may so describe the device. rlhe lever beingswung forward as shown, the bail is than passed over the uppermost hook and the extrel'nity of the female member l is seated against the gasketotthe male member. T he lever is turned over to the position shown in Fig. 2 as the arrow indi- Cates, and as its eye 24 passes around its fulcrum 2:2 which latter linds its bearing' within the hook 13, the hook and with it the upper side of the female member is moved forcibly toward them-ale member so that the gasket is ctunpressed and the two members are coupled in a water-tight manner. As the lever comes to rest in the position shown in Figs. :'2 and 3 the cross bar Sil of the bail engages over the shoulder 1Q of the lug .ll and the pressure exerted by the expansive force of the gasket is resisted by tlie bail and its Contact with thisl shoulder and With the hook on the other member. This I consider one ofrthe most important features of my invention.

I desire to emphasize the fact that. when the parts are properly constructed and shaped the bail takes the strain oli the lever,

and ,the members of the coupling are held connected at one .side by this bail engaging the lug on one member and the hook on the other while said members are .held connected at the other side by the link performing the same function. The lever then. lies in the position seen in Figs. Q and 3, Aandthe extremity of its rounded handle rests at, a remote pointI on the coupling member or on the hose itself and cannot be thrown out of operative position when the latter is drawn over the ground either4 longitudinally or laterally. ln :tac-t, it requires considerable force to raise the free end of the lever handle as is necessary to disconnect; thiscoupling, and in doing so the eye 9A obviouslymoves the cross bar of the bail ott its seat upon the shoulder and carries it outwardrbeyond the 'Fulcrum point- As soon as the line of the strain passes said 'J lcrum point, the lever flies o\ er to the pour, shown in Fig. l and the outer end 30 et ille bail is automatically diengaged from 'the uppermost hooil on the member M.

Thereafter of course the link is disengaged' from the opposite hook, and the two membersI are entirely diseomucled..

The parts oi this cmipling;l may be made ot' any suitable material, and ot'v such sizes and proportions as, are necessary 'l'or the use to which it is to be put.

As above intimated', the enact shape ot' the outer ends ot the. two members is not at all essential to the shape of their inner ends which form parts of the coupling, and in the drawings said outer ends are shown glib ierently formed at the opposite extremities oi' the entire device the better tio illustrate the fact that.- they could be made in a variety ofways. In fact, this coupling 4could be used between one rigid pipe and one'hose section, although its uses are not necessary of amplification here.V

1n the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, no new structural elements are introduced into the device.` However, as -denoted by the numeral 50, two levers may be employed, one of said levers replacing the element 15, as will be understood clearly, by a comparison ot' Figs. 2 and 5.

lVhat is claimed as new is 1. The herein described hose coupling cimiprising `oppositely disposed yhooks 'on one member, oppositely disposed lugs on the other member, one ot' the lugs having a Ishoulder facing away from the extrel'nity of its member, a link connected with the other lug and adapted to engage one hook, a triangular bail whose. smaller end engages the 100 other hook and whose cross bar engages said shoulder when the members are coupled, a hook on this lng projecting,- through the bail and having its bail close down onto the lug adjacent said shoulder, and a lever having 105 a transverse eye loosely embracing said cross bar,-a slot at vright angles to the eye and loosely embracingthe bill of the' hook, a

transverse ulcrum at the extremity of said slot journaled loosely through said hook, and 11o a handle at the remote end of the lever curved inward toward the coupling.

rl`he herein described hose coupling comprising oppositely disposed hooks on one member, oppositely disposed lugson the I other member, one of the lugs lna'ing a shoulder facing away from the extremity of its member, a link connected with the other lug and adapted lo engage one hook, a triangular bail whose smaller end engages the other hook and, whose cross bar engages said shoulder when the members are coupled, the shouldered lug having an eye, and a lever having a transverse eye loosely embracing said cross bar, a slot at right angles 125 the remote end of the leyer.

n prising cooperating coupling members, one

s disposed to- 3. A device of the class described com- I the mouthof which notch i I Ward the free end of the lever; and ulink of which is provided with a projection, the other of which is provided with a hook, the bill of the hook extending away from the projection; a lever extended toward its free end in the -saine direction as the bill of the hook, the lever having its other end seated in the bend of the hook, there being an opening in the lever to receive the bill of the hook, the lever having a notch in one edge,

i engaged in the notch and with the pro- ,l jection. l 1n testimony that I claim the foregoing as l my own7 I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses. I EDWARD LE BRETON. l Witnesses:

DANIEL CARR, Mrs. EDWARD Ln BRD'I'ON. 

